The "Golden Flower" called the ancient Greeks chrysanthemum. And they had reasons for that. These flowers, like the sun, open their heads in the autumn months, filling the garden with their specific aroma. According to Eastern ancient wisdom, those who grow them are happy and live long.
general information
From the second half of July, and in some regions closer to September, many varieties of this flower can be seen in many garden plots and flower beds in gardens. Most flower growers prefer to choose annual chrysanthemums, the cultivation of which is not difficult, in addition, they have excellent decorative properties and relative unpretentiousness. Of course, outwardly they are slightly inferior to long-term varieties, but they do not require complicated and laborious care.
The annual chrysanthemum is part of the family Asteraceae. Its genus includes more than forty species of these herbaceous plants. It is believed that the annual chrysanthemum came to us from the Mediterranean. There is hardly a person who will remain indifferent to the beauty of this flower. More often than others in our gardens is found annual chrysanthemum Kilevataya. Although in some regions other varieties are quite common, for example, Sowing, Crowned and other varieties. Their bright cheerful inflorescences, gathering in simple and semi-double baskets, decorate flower beds, from mid-June to mid-October.
Description
Almost every person born in the era of the USSR, this plant evokes childhood memories. After all, the first thing we saw at the cottage or in the village with grandfather and grandmother was precisely the annual chrysanthemum. Photos of this flower are presented in this article. This culture is relatively undemanding to growing conditions. The rhizomes of chrysanthemums are branched, they develop parallel to the surface. Shoots are both naked and pubescent.
The annual chrysanthemum has leaves, located next to each other. They are simple, but varying in shape and size. The plant may have hollow or jagged, dissected leaves, may not even be present at all. The color of the green is usually light, although in some varieties it may be dark. Small chrysanthemum flowers are collected in a basket. Sometimes it can be quite large. The fruits of the chrysanthemum are achenes.
This plant begins to bloom somewhere in mid-June for two months. Depending on the region, this period may vary. Due to abundant and very long flowering, the annual chrysanthemum is used with great success in landscape design. It is beautiful on the flower beds and prefabricated flower beds, it is often planted in large groups on the background of the lawn. The annual chrysanthemum is also suitable for cutting, as it can stand in the water for a long enough time.
Varieties
In our country, the most common are several decorative species. Most often, the annual Chrysanthemum Vidnaya is found in the gardens. Her bushes are about fifty centimeters high. The leaves are elegant arranged, the inflorescences are large (5-6 cm), terry, with a pronounced convex receptacle. The plant blooms for a very long time. Especially good is the chrysanthemum visible in the cut, so it is also called "bouquet."
Another variety - Sowing - has highly branched bushes, studded with large lemon flowers with a contrasting dark brown core. Annual chrysanthemum seeds The scaphoid was given the name for this species. They look like a boat with a keel, because the variety is also called Kilevata. The inflorescences of this chrysanthemum are very colorful, its flat dark red-brown disk is surrounded by reed petals with multi-colored rings: white, red, pink, burgundy, yellow, brown, orange. There are so many variations that it is impossible to find two bushes with the same coloring.
Care
The plant prefers fertile and well-drained soil. It easily sets seeds, and some varieties are characterized by abundant self-sowing. The young annual chrysanthemum grows fast enough. This flower is undemanding to care, cold-resistant and tolerates weak frosts. He loves the sunny location in the garden.
Annual chrysanthemum is a fairly drought tolerant plant that does not tolerate excess moisture. In order for the plant to bloom in time and delight until late autumn, it must be planted in sunny open areas. If the place is shaded, then the annual chrysanthemum will stretch, and the color of the buds will be very dull, and flowering will be short-lived. He does not like plants and cold winds.
Soil preparation
Chrysanthemums prefer medium-heavy, loamy and water-intensive soil with high-quality drainage, rich in micronutrients. It is strongly not recommended to grow them in acidic soil, since the flower on it feels very bad. The normal growth of chrysanthemum is adversely affected by unspoiled manure.
Before planting, two buckets of humus, superphosphate and kalimagnesia should be added to the soil at the rate of fifty grams per square meter. Then you need to dig a place to a depth of about two bayonet shovels, after that plant a culture and water it abundantly.
Landing
The plant is able to develop on almost any garden soil, although it prefers fertile, calcareous soil without an excess of organic compounds. Best annual chrysanthemum grows on loam. A plant for seedlings is sown in April, diving into pots. Planting material is transferred to the ground in mid-May. Seedlings are sown at a distance of twenty to thirty centimeters from each other.
Planting material is sown only after heating the soil with the sun, in previously prepared furrows. Then they are covered with peat two or three centimeters thick and well watered. After the formation of the first pair of true leaves, seedlings should be thinned out.
Growing Features
For magnificent growth, annual chrysanthemum requires timely and high-quality watering. The flower also needs periodic loosening of the soil with the elimination of all weeds. After planting, the soil around it is better to mulch: this helps maintain the necessary moisture at the roots.
Like any other flower culture, annual chrysanthemum requires periodic feeding. In this case, the main thing when applying fertilizers is to water under the root, so as not to burn the leaf part.
Chrysanthemum annual: growing from seeds
In the middle lane of our country, this culture is grown both by sowing in soil and seedlings. Seeds of all varieties of annual chrysanthemums are sown in March or April in a greenhouse in compost land with the addition of peat and sand. Seed is sprinkled with sheet soil, slightly pressed, and then watered quite abundantly. With a dense cultivation of seeds, seedlings must be thinned out.
Other prerequisites for normal growth are regular watering and ventilation of the greenhouse. The latter procedure is extremely important, because the annual chrysanthemum grows very quickly, so at high temperatures it can grow, and in this case the seedlings will turn out to be inferior. The result should be a squat plant with well-developed roots.
Seedlings of annual varieties are best placed in open ground only in May. Blooming chrysanthemum is a real decoration of gardens in the fall. This bright gift of nature, with a wormwood tart aroma, as if sent to extend the summer days.